When looking for a product or solution, many people consider the options close to them first. And while many think local SEO is not really relevant, the truth is that localized content and product optimization take a large piece of the market.
One of the reasons can be people are more confident in communicating with service providers who speak the same language or share the same or similar cultural habits. Even when we talk about Software-as-a-Service solutions, the local SEO for SaaS is relevant for both providers and potential customers.
How?
Some products are made for a specific location only, so global targeting doesn’t really make sense. On the other hand, you can target more than one location with similar languages that can easily use the product. Anyway, there are a few things to consider, so let’s start:
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How Does Local SEO Help My SaaS Company?
Local SEO is all the actions you take to optimize your website for location-based keywords and search queries. But it doesn’t only include on-page tactics but also updating your Google My Business profile with relevant information and building local citations.
As a result, you get:
- Increased visibility in location-based search results
- More targeted traffic, i.e., local SaaS businesses
- Improved user experience, as you provide relevance and accuracy
- Competitive advantage for your SaaS business
Local optimization has two main goals: Attracting potential customers to your physical store/office and appearing in localized search results on Google or other search engines.
No matter what’s your goal, you need to focus on local SEO tactics and work on improving your page content accordingly.
Why Would a SaaS Company Need a Local SEO?
Every SaaS business is different, targets a specific audience, and covers a larger or smaller part of the market. If you’re one of those targeting people in a specific location, then general SEO won’t bring much benefit.
Surely you’ll still need content writing, on-page, off-page, and technical SEO, but the focus is more on Google My Business profile optimization, citations, and gathering customer rates and reviews.
If the searcher has the Google location turned on, local results appear higher on their search result pages and Google Maps locations. But those who, for some reason, don’t have their location enabled may use keywords like “payment management New York” or “project flow tool London,” and as you see, that’s your opportunity to target the local audience and raise awareness around your SaaS product.
And while you successfully optimize the website content, you can also attract potential customers to visit your company’s headquarters for a first-hand experience regarding the software or meet the people who stand behind their favorite SaaS product.
What Does it Take to Perform a Successful Local SEO for Saas?
Some of the local SEO elements are similar to traditional B2B SaaS SEO, while others go specifically into the location and the purpose of the SaaS product. So, these are the steps you need to take:
Local Keyword Research for SaaS Businesses
Use tools like Ahrefs, SemRush, or Google Keyword Planner to check what people are searching for in your location. These tools can help you find great keywords that cover both the targeted location and the SaaS product’s unique features.
On-Page Optimization and Localization
Use the keywords to optimize and localize the page content, starting from the page titles, meta descriptions, and headers. You can continue optimizing the website copy, as well as blogs, user manuals, and case studies.
Optimize the CTAs, too, as you can provide a more intuitive buyer journey.
Work on Your Google My Business Strategy
Google My Business helps you optimize the company using integrated features, like Google Maps localization, entering the name, address, and phone (NAP) information, and leveraging customer feedback visible on Google.
Additionally, when properly managed, GMB will help you appear in local citations and reputable directories as a trusted SaaS company that prioritizes customer satisfaction.
Still, many may ask:
Why would a SaaS company that relies on online customers should care about local SEO? Is local SEO relevant for SaaS at all?
And surely that’s the right perspective.
But have you ever asked what about SaaS products in a language different than English? What if the product is made for a limited audience with no intention to spread outside a specific region? What about those clients who insist on meeting in person with the SaaS providers?
Local SEO is mostly about positioning your company on local Google results, including GMB and Google Maps pinpoints.
It’s also about bringing benefits to your business thanks to appearing in search results.
So, let’s explore it deeper.
Local SEO Benefits for SaaS Businesses
In general, local SEO helps ANY business create organic backlinks, build trust, and strengthen relationships with customers.
So, we can summarize the benefits this way:
1. Relevant Local Backlinks
By entering the local citations and lists with your location and address, you get more organic backlinks, which is a huge SEO factor for your ranking.
And while these may not be the strongest links, it’s still a link pointing to your site from an authoritative listing, which is not bad at all.
For example, you may appear in lists like: “X SaaS Companies in Chicago,” “Best American SaaS Companies with Asian Founder,” or similar, which, again, may only bring a benefit to your business.
2. Building Trust With Potential Customers
Not many customers are confident enough to sign up for a demo without meeting with the people behind the SaaS product. And we can’t really blame them since there are so many scams online or incomplete SaaS-like products concerning security.
As you appear with the GMB profile, potential customers can see photos of your office and your business name, which is a good starting point for building trust.
3. Local SEO Improves Website Ranking
While there is no strong relationship between GMB ranking and overall website ranking, a strategically implemented local SEO will boost your site. Remember, Google never stops working on rewarding strong and relevant content with first-page results for specific queries.
And if you have a strong Google My Business profile, you surely improve your relevance, which affects the overall impression Google gets from your website. You still need to add some content tweaks and leverage localized search queries to make your SERP position even stronger.
What’s The Verdict Regarding Local SEO for SaaS?
Local SEO is still an SEO tactic that brings benefit to SaaS companies, no matter if you use the help of an local SEO reseller, agency or any SEO professional. However, you need to know that in some cases, it won’t bring many results, especially if:
- The company doesn’t have a permanent address, and all employees work remotely
- The product is globally relevant, and localization will only waste time
- You’re targeting the global audience
- There is no interest in your product locally
Local SEO is an investment, but if you expect only a few office visits or a small number of local conversions, you may need to focus on traditional SEO tactics for B2B SaaS, tailored content distribution, and marketing efforts that resonate with the target audience.
